Social Construction Of Gender

As defined by Dalton Conley, sex, sexuality, and gender are three different things. Gender is constructed around femininity and masculinity, therefore society dictates the social norms for gender (Conley 283). Society has created the notion of femininity and masculinity. Society tells us how to be feminine or masculine and how to display these characteristics to the world, thus, making it a social construct. These notions are social constructs because they are human inventions that are widely agreed upon and differ throughout cultures, they also change over time within the context of society.

Throughout this course, we have discussed how the differences in the social construction of gender, race, class, and sexuality have led to discrimination and inequality of those classified under a variety of these categories. Through understanding the significance of these social constructs on society it becomes apparent the intersectionality they have when it comes to understanding why certain groups may face discrimination or inequality. This paper examines gender inequality and how the social construction of gender makes it difficult for the pursuit of equality amongst genders.

Many people confuse the definition of gender and sex. “Gender, on the other hand, refers to the meanings, values, and characteristics that people ascribe to different sexes. Sex is a biological concept, determined on the basis of individual 's primary sex characteristics.” (Blackstone) Society gives social cues on the appropriate behavior for each sex. For example, women are to exert more feminine traits such as being dependent, emotional, passive, innocent, nurturing, and/or self-critical. On the contrary, men should be more

Gender as a Social Construction This annotated bibliography is focused on research that supports the idea that gender has been socially constructed. Haslanger’s chapter offers an understanding of what is meant by the term ‘socially constructed’ and how gender can be defined from this viewpoint. Zimman complements Haslanger’s argument by explaining that it is our discourse that influences our perceptions of gender. Eckert and McConnell-Ginet’s chapter is helpful when explaining how gender is socially constructed by exploring how from birth we are treated and labeled according to whether we’ are male or female.

Sex and gender are often used interchangeably in American culture, yet they have distinctly different meanings. Sex is based on a person’s biological traits, such as chromosomes and genitals, while gender is used to outline what cultural roles a person will perform. American society uses a binary system of male or female for sex and gender. Both sex and gender are integral in shaping a person’s identity. The gender and sex binary system can be detrimental to individuals who do not conform to it.

   Gender is not a biological fact but a social construct.  However, so many assumptions have been made in the attempt to define the terms gender and sex that society often defines gender as being solely male and female.  The female sex has traditionally been oppressed due to inferences on physical and mental constraints that male-dominated society has imposed.  As with culture, gender socialization begins with birth and the family structure, though many believe that specific events also have a great influence on the boundaries of gender.  It has been suggested, for example, that schooling and education systems have a large responsibility in the formation of gender divisions.  Gender differences have

Gender is among several concepts taught from birth that eventually become our nature. The degree of inequality between men and women has varied among a wide range of cultures, but has ultimately constructed a glass ceiling for women. While the United States has experienced progressive change towards gender equality, other areas have yet to advance. The social construction of gender has shaped different mentalities, even in recreational aspects of culture. I recognized this after attending a local Salsa dancing event for the student body.

The word gender can be described as the state of being male or female and is typically used to describe cultural differences as opposed to biological ones. Additionally, the definition of gender has continuously been a controversial issue due to its lack of clarity in regards to battling complicated social injustices. Furthermore, the construction of gender as a social category has recently been criticized for the lack of inclusiveness to women of color and the consistent habit to view both gender and race as restrictive divisions of experience and reasoning. Seeing those criticisms has led to the development of the term intersectionality which deals with various layers of subjection that women live with and addresses more than just the

At a very young age we are introduced to a gender identity based upon the sex we were born with. Girls are associated with the color pink, dolls, nurturing tendencies, and inclined to be more emotional. While boys are associated with the color blue, the nature of masculinity, sports, and said to be more outspoken. However, gender and sex are two different things. Sex is the biological differences between female and male, while gender is social construct attached with social roles

The way society is taught to be socialized is salient and goes unnoticed, therefore it is valid to claim that gender is socially constructed through our everyday practices, whether we are aware of the construction or not. With socialization beginning the instant a child is born, the process is continuous through out adolescence and varies dramatically across the two genders. With guidance from institutions and arenas such as education, sports, music and the mass media gender seems to be coerced, as it comes with a scripted set of behaviors and attitudes. This essay argues that gender is socially constructed on an everyday basis. To further explain this thesis the essay will draw on early childhood socialization of masculinity and femininity,

The social approach views gender as a social construction and states that “gender shapes and is shaped by social interaction” (Correll, Thebaud, Benard, 2007, p.1). It also views gender as an institutionalized system that puts people in two different categories: men and women, and organized relations of inequality based on these differences (Correll et al., 2007; Ferree, Lorber & Hess, 1999). Moreover, the social approach views gender as a product of cultural ideals about femininity and masculinity (Rudman & Click, 2008). This approach states that gender builds on the biological categories of female and male, but social constructionists tend to believe that biological sex differences affect only a limited number of physical traits (e.g., size, genitalia, and facial hair) and that psychological differences between the sexes are culturally created (Rudman & Glick, 2008).

In today’s society, maintain gender order is something that seems to come naturally to all, even though some people may not be aware that is does. This order is how we put people in their place and maintain order in society. We are products of our social culture which shapes our gendered order or the way we associate characteristics to our gender. Not by biological orientations but from “exigencies of the social order” can we fully process the social construction of gender. We uphold our gendered order and others help us to do so. Carmen helps to establish and uphold the gendered order in the movie Real Women Have Curves by her objection to Ana’s leaving home. Because this is such a good example of gendered order, the choice of making it

Gender is an important and complex part of everyday life that most people do not ever think twice about. Many people believe that the gender they are are assigned at birth is the gender they will “be” and perform for the rest of their life, without ever considering why they are conforming to gender roles and a gender binary system. However, gender is a social construct that has been created by our society to identify and categorize people into easily identifiable and recognizable categories – men and women. As stated by Betsy Lucal, “We assume that we can place each individual into one of two mutually exclusive categories in this binary system” (Lucal 73). Society interprets certain behaviors, appearances, and personality traits to one or the other side gender binary and when we perform gender appropriately and attribute gender to others based on those characteristics we are simultaneously creating the social construct of gender and enforcing it.

In the first place, it is important to define the word gender and differentiate it from sex. Sex is biological and contains physical and anatomical qualities that result in the biological distinction between men and women. On the contrary, gender is a construction, it has almost nothing to do with physical characteristics or with genetics. Using this as a basis, we would say that biological differences build social differences that affect social life and that create certain roles and behavioral expectations. Gender is created in the first years of the person's life, distinguishing between the male and female genders based on the different properties that the social environment attributes to both men and women. The first question normally asked about a newborn " Is it a boy or a girl?” they have enormous implications because the answer does not refer only to the sex but to the general direction that the baby's future life will take. In reality, gender socialization begins even before birth. Thus, on the one hand, women are expected to be sweet and affectionate, good mothers, to take care of the home. Certain professions are outside of their permissible field. However, men must always be strong and hard and financial providers.

Gender, as a basic classification of human beings has attracted much more attention than before because it played an essential role in the process that feminists fight for women 's equality in the society. Scholars have proposed numerous theories from various dimensions. The relationship of organizations and gender is one of popular dimension in academic researches. Because the organization is "an area in which widely disseminated cultural images of gender are invented and reproduced"(Acker, 1990). Therefore, organizations are typical places where gender is constructed. Analysis of the construction process of gender in the organization will reflect how the public understand the concept of gender, and will reveal the relationship between male and female in modern society.